Republic of China era: A hundred-year-old still practicing martial arts? Is that right?

Lin Ji lowered his head.

After a moment of stunned silence, he suddenly widened his eyes and then burst into hearty laughter.

"Hahaha! Good! Great!"

An old friend who has been silent for thirty years.

On this ordinary morning, I woke up with him.

Having lived for a hundred years, Lin Ji had long believed that his body was completely decaying.

Unexpectedly, on his 100th birthday, the stubborn "Book of Rebellion" was opened, not only granting him martial bones and allowing him to embark on the path of martial arts, but also awakening his old friend.

Lin Ji was in high spirits. He stretched and felt energetic all over his body.

After tidying up briefly, Lin Ji opened the old wooden box under the bed. Inside lay five polished silver coins, his life savings for his coffin.

Five silver dollars may not sound like much, but their purchasing power is real. One silver dollar is enough for a family of three to eat their fill for a week without going hungry!

"The old man is in a good mood today, so he bought some good food to treat himself."

After saying that, Lin Ji locked the door and walked out of the dilapidated courtyard.

Dog Tail Alley was already bustling with activity in the early morning. Peddlers carrying their wares shook rattles, steam rose from the soy milk stalls, and newsboys trotted through the streets and alleys, calling out, "Newspapers for sale! Newspapers for sale!"

Lin Ji walked straight to the pork shop at the entrance of the alley.

Butcher Zhang was chopping meat with his knife held to the side.

A long scratch mark was imprinted on his fat left cheek, and there was a large bruise around his eye. With each chop, he would grimace and gasp for breath, muttering under his breath.

"You damned woman...you really went all out...I'll divorce you sooner or later..."

"Hey, Zhang the butcher, what are you muttering about? Look at you, did your wife drain you dry last night?"

Lin Ji's voice carried from afar.

When Zhang the butcher saw Lin Ji, he slammed his cleaver down on the cutting board with a clang and said irritably, "You old codger, at your age you still love to eavesdrop, aren't you afraid of going deaf!"

Lin Ji chuckled dismissively, reached into his robes and rummaged around for a moment, then slammed his hand down on the chopping board in front of Butcher Zhang.

"Give the old man a pound of pork belly, the fatty kind."

When Butcher Zhang saw the shiny silver coin, his small eyes widened, and he grinned so hard that the fat on his face bunched up.

"Oh my! Old Lin, how can you be so generous today? You usually have to pay a penny for coarse grain noodles and eat cornbread soaked in water every day. Are you finally willing to eat meat today?"

As he spoke, he picked up a kitchen knife, glanced at Lin Ji, and reached for a scrap of pork with some skin and lymph nodes in the corner of the cutting board.

"Hey Zhang the butcher, I'm not some old man like Naldorlon. You saw my ears yesterday, now you want to try my eyes?"

Lin Ji reached out and grabbed the thickest piece of pork belly from the center of the cutting board, tossing it in front of Butcher Zhang: "This is it, make sure it's weighed accurately. I can spot your tricks of shortchanging me with my eyes closed!"

Butcher Zhang's hand, holding the cleaver, froze in mid-air, and he forced an unnatural smile: "How could that be? Doing business is all about integrity."

Then, reluctantly, he picked up the piece of meat Lin Jixuan had chosen, sliced ​​it open with a knife, and threw it onto the scale.

"One pound is just right, look closely, it's quite tall."

"etc!"

Lin Ji reached out and pressed down on the meat that Butcher Zhang was handing over.

"What's with this piece of fat stuck to this weight? Trying to fool me? It's worth at least an ounce of meat."

"What should we do? Either we make up for the old man's loss, or I still have something to say to Wang Erniang... What did you just say you wanted to divorce?"

Butcher Zhang's face fell, and his eyes twitched.

"You old bastard!" Gritting his teeth, Butcher Zhang cut off another piece of meat and threw it into the scale. "Your eyes are sharper than an eagle's. I'm really unlucky to have met you."

The alleyway was bustling with the noise of meat stalls.

A vegetable vendor nearby came over and, noticing the injury on Zhang the butcher's face, couldn't help but ask curiously.

"Old Zhang, were those injuries on your face inflicted by the Green Robe Gang?"

"Don't mention those unlucky things to me."

Butcher Zhang shouted angrily, but his voice was not as loud as when he had just yelled at Lin Ji.

"I've already given out money for weddings this month, and they asked for another one yesterday. Damn it, if they keep picking on me, I'll see if I'm polite to them."

"Twice? Didn't you submit it at the beginning of the month? Why are you submitting it again?"

Other stall owners also peered out and asked questions.

Butcher Zhang lowered his voice, "What else could it be? I heard the Green Robe Gang hired a new advisor, and those bastards from the Sea Dragon Gang are using that as an excuse to extort money. Who dares not pay? They can forget about living!"

Lin Ji stood aside, not interrupting, and listened silently.

Jiangcheng is located outside of the former Bund and the Republic of China government area.

The most powerful groups in the area are the three major gangs and the four major families.

Among the Green Robe Gang, the Hongmen Gang, and the Gelaohui, the Green Robe Gang is said to be the most powerful.

The gang leader, Du Qingyi, is rumored to be a master of internal energy cultivation, with tens of thousands of followers.

The Haijiao Gang, which manages the area around Gouwei Alley, is a small gang affiliated with the Qingyi Gang.

"Ha! Who dares not to pay?" one stall owner said indignantly. "Why doesn't that foreign firm at the street corner pay its fees? These bullies only dare to ride roughshod over us ordinary people. They act like they're seeing their own fathers when they see foreigners."

"Sigh, what can we do when we're not martial artists?" another stall owner sighed. "If someone in your family were a martial artist, not only would they have to pay a share of the money, but the Haijiao Gang would have to come and pay them a visit."

They were talking.

A gasp came from afar.

The once noisy alleyway instantly fell silent.

Everyone instinctively pressed themselves against the wall.

In the distance, not far away...

A large group of people walked into the alley.

The three men at the head of the group wore short blue robes, each with bulging muscles and a vicious dragon tattooed on their arm.

Behind the three were more than twenty thugs in black shirts, each with a fierce look on their face and a swaggering gait.

"It's Zhou Jin, the Red Flower Stick of the Sea Dragon Gang," someone whispered, a hint of fear in their voice. "I heard he's a real master of the Body Refining Technique; three or five strong men wouldn't be able to get close to him."

"They've been learning martial arts since they were little, starting to toughen their bodies at three or five years old, and they eat meat every meal. How can we compare?" another person whispered in agreement.

Lin Ji listened to these words and sighed inwardly.

"In this chaotic world, if you have martial arts skills, you can roam around aimlessly and people will still invite you to eat."

At this moment, a vendor, whether out of sheer fear or unable to pay his share, rushed out in a panic and bumped into a red flower stick.

With a flick of his wrist, Honghua Gun raised his eyebrows and kicked the vendor away.

The vendor lay curled up on the ground, not getting up for a long time.

I saw this scene.

Before Lin Ji could even lament the suffering of humanity, his martial bones trembled slightly.

The way the red-flower stick had exerted its force and the flow of its qi and blood were now clearly visible in his mind.

"There are definitely advantages to being young. This is all thanks to my abundant blood and energy!" Lin Ji couldn't help but sigh.

The alley gradually returned to normal only after Haijiao helped the group walk out.

However, everyone's face carried a shadow of gloom.

Lin Ji carried it and walked towards the dilapidated courtyard, still pondering the scene that had just occurred to him.

"Make money! Practice martial arts! In this world of martial artists, I, a hundred-year-old man, will also venture into it."

back home.

Lin Ji quickly started stewing the meat.

After enjoying a delicious meal and resting for a while, he carried his box for showing the shadow puppets and headed to his familiar stall.

Dog Tail Alley is not wide.

Under the old locust tree in the alley, unlike the other places in the alley where the blue brick walls were damp and peeling, it was the only place that could get some sun.

This is why it became Lin Ji's exclusive stall.

Lin Ji had just walked to the open space.

"Old Man Lin is here!"

A commotion arose in the alley, and a dozen or so children cheered and gathered around.

Lin Ji ignored the children and glanced into the depths of the alley. He saw several men emerge from the alley, looking disappointed and muttering, "Aren't you going to open for business yet? I'm here to throw money away!"

Deep in the alley, Bai Xiaonian stood at the door with his arms crossed, like a door god, watching every man who passed by.

Lin Ji withdrew his gaze and said softly, "This kid."

"Old Lin, let's get started! Isn't today the finale?"

"Don't rush, don't rush!" Lin Ji slowly got into position, ready to start the performance.

Looking around, Lin Ji noticed that Liu Yuanbao, the usually most enthusiastic chubby boy, was not there.

He couldn't help but ask, puzzled, "Hmm? Where's that chubby little Liu Yuanbao?"

"Brother Yuanbao said he'll have to wait a while, why don't we start now!"

"Yes, yes, Gousheng is right. Yuanbao's family had someone over today, and it seems to be a very important guest."

"Mmm! I saw her yesterday, she's a real beauty!"

However, before the kids could finish their urging, they...

From a distance at the alley entrance, an angry shout came from afar.

"Which bastard dared to incite old man Lin to start the show before I even got there?"

Then came another burst of noise, filled with boasting and excitement.

"Sister, hurry up! Let me tell you, Old Man Lin's shadow puppetry is completely different; it's much more interesting than the opera performances in the city!"